Publications by authors named "Loft A"

Article Synopsis
  • - The research aimed to assess data collection practices for non-musculoskeletal manifestations (NMMs), comorbidities, and safety outcomes in patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) across 17 European registries, emphasizing the need for international collaboration for better treatment strategies.
  • - A comprehensive survey with over 4,400 questionnaire items examined how 58 defined conditions were recorded in each registry, focusing on recording methods and the ability to link data to national registries.
  • - The study found that while many registries recorded a variety of conditions consistently, Nordic countries showed potential for data linkage but had limited recording practices, while other regions maintained thorough documentation, paving the way
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to evaluate the retention rates and remission outcomes of patients with axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA) who started treatment with secukinumab over 24 and 48 months.
  • Data was collected from 13 European registries, revealing that retention rates were around 51%-64%, and patients with no prior biologic treatments showed better outcomes compared to those with previous treatments.
  • The findings suggest that secukinumab remains effective over four years, with higher success rates in treatment-naïve patients compared to those who had already tried other therapies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objectives: To re-evaluate cut-offs for disease activity states according to the Axial Spondyloarthritis Disease Activity Score (ASDAS), and study the impact of sex, age, calendar time, disease and symptom duration on ASDAS and ASDAS cut-offs in a large contemporary cohort.

Methods: Data from 2939 patients with axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) starting their first tumour necrosis factor inhibitor in nine European registries were pooled and analysed. Receiver operating characteristic analyses were performed to identify cut-offs against external criteria.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Accurate initial staging of patients with breast cancer is essential for planning optimal treatment strategies. However, currently, no imaging modality is able to detect lymph node metastases preoperatively with sufficient reliability; therefore, the N status depends on the sentinel node procedure for ~ 70% of patients. In a prospective clinical trial of breast cancer patients, we compared head-to-head uPAR-PET/CT with current standard-of-care, ultrasound (US) and fine needle biopsy (FNB) as staging methods.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Total metabolic tumor volume (TMTV) is prognostic in lymphoma. However, cutoff values for risk stratification vary markedly, according to the tumor delineation method used. We aimed to create a standardized TMTV benchmark dataset allowing TMTV to be tested and applied as a reproducible biomarker.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objectives: To compare the treatment effectiveness of secukinumab in radiographic (r) versus non-radiographic (nr) axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) patients treated in routine care across Europe.

Methods: Prospectively collected data on secukinumab-treated axSpA patients with known radiographic status were pooled from nine countries.Remission rates based on patient-reported outcomes (PROs; Numeric Rating Scale (0-10), for example, pain ≤2/Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI) ≤2 and Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Score (ASDAS) inactive disease (ID) <1.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

To evaluate tumour necrosis factor inhibitor (TNFi) drug-levels and presence of anti-drug antibodies (ADAb) in patients with inflammatory arthritis who taper TNFi compared to TNFi continuation. Patients with rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, or axial spondyloarthritis on stable TNFi dose and in low disease activity ≥ 12 months were randomised (2:1) to disease activity-guided tapering or control. Blood samples at baseline, 12- and 18-months were evaluated for TNFi drug-levels and ADAb.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to explore sex differences in patient-reported outcomes (PROMs) among patients with axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) starting their first tumor necrosis factor inhibitor (TNFi).
  • Data from 15 registries were analyzed, focusing on changes in BASDAI and BASFI scores over 24 months using linear mixed models.
  • Results indicated that women reported significantly worse outcomes than men, with the sex differences in scores nearly doubling after 6 months, and baseline characteristics such as HLA-B27 positivity and disease duration helped explain some but not all of the differences.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to determine whether the modified 28-joint disease activity index (DAPSA28) or the 28-joint disease activity score with C-reactive protein (DAS28-CRP) is better for monitoring disease activity in psoriatic arthritis (PsA) when the full joint count is unavailable.
  • Analysis of real-world data from over 3,000 European patients revealed that at the 6-month mark, DAPSA28 provided similar remission rates to DAPSA, but DAS28-CRP showed significantly higher rates of both remission and response.
  • The results suggest that DAPSA28 is preferable to DAS28-CRP when conducting assessments without a full joint count due to the
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: To explore the registration of enthesitis among biologic-naïve patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) initiating tumour necrosis factor inhibitor (TNFi) treatment across 12 European registries, compare the disease burden and patient-reported outcomes (PROs) between patients with and without enthesitis, and assess the enthesitis treatment response.

Method: Demographics, clinical characteristics, and PROs at first TNFi (TNFi-1) initiation (baseline) were assessed in patients with PsA, diagnosed by a rheumatologist, with versus without assessment of entheses and between those with versus without enthesitis. Enthesitis scores and resolution frequency were identified at follow-up.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to identify lectin pathway proteins (LPPs) as potential biomarkers for diagnosing axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) in patients with either newly diagnosed axSpA or chronic low back pain (cLBP).
  • Serum samples from 515 participants were analyzed, revealing significant differences in levels of certain proteins between axSpA patients and those with cLBP, particularly showing higher L-ficolin, MASP-2, and C3dg in axSpA patients.
  • The combination of HLA-B27 with specific LPP measurements enhanced the diagnostic specificity for axSpA, but this came at the cost of sensitivity; C3dg and MASP-3 were highlighted as important markers
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The study looked at patients with PsA (psoriatic arthritis) who started a 2nd or 3rd TNFi (a type of medicine) and how many continued taking it after a year.
  • Out of the patients studied, about 68% stayed on their 2nd TNFi and 66% on their 3rd TNFi after a year.
  • The results showed that effectiveness of the new medicine depended on why they stopped taking the previous one, with better outcomes for those who stopped because the first medicine didn’t work as well after some time.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Artificial intelligence (AI) may decrease FFDG PET/CT-based gross tumor volume (GTV) delineation variability and automate tumor-volume-derived image biomarker extraction. Hence, we aimed to identify and evaluate promising state-of-the-art deep learning methods for head and neck cancer (HNC) PET GTV delineation. We trained and evaluated deep learning methods using retrospectively included scans of HNC patients referred for radiotherapy between January 2014 and December 2019 (ISRCTN16907234).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: It is unclear if sentinel node (SLN) mapping can replace pelvic- (PLD) and paraaortic lymphadenectomy (PALD) for high-risk endometrial cancer (EC). A diagnostically safe surgical algorithm, taking failed mapping cases into account, is not defined. We aimed to investigate the diagnostic accuracy of SLN mapping algorithms in women with exclusively high-risk EC.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Cancer in pregnancy is rare, and most physicians lack knowledge in handling pregnant cancer patients. This review summarises the present knowledge on this condition. In the Netherlands, an Advisory Board on Cancer in Pregnancy was established in 2012.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objectives: In patients with axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) or psoriatic arthritis (PsA) initiating secukinumab, we aimed to assess and compare the proportion of patients achieving 6-, 12- and 24-month patient-reported outcomes (PRO) remission and the 24-month retention rates.

Patients And Methods: Patients with axSpA or PsA from 16 European registries, who initiated secukinumab in routine care were included. PRO remission rates were defined as pain, fatigue, Patient Global Assessment (PGA) ≤2 (Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) 0-10) and Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) ≤0.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: To evaluate patient-reported outcomes (PROs) after initiation of tumor necrosis factor inhibitor (TNFi) treatment in European real-world patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA). Further, to investigate PRO remission rates across treatment courses, registries, disease duration, sex, and age at disease onset.

Methods: Visual analog scale or numerical rating scale scores for pain, fatigue, patient global assessment (PtGA), and the Health Assessment Questionnaire-Disability Index (HAQ-DI) from 12,262 patients with PsA initiating a TNFi in 13 registries were pooled.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • - The study aimed to identify and categorize different patient subtypes (endotypes) in axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) using a set of 14 blood-based biomarkers related to collagen formation and degradation, assessing their implications for disease activity and treatment response to adalimumab.
  • - Researchers conducted three studies, including one cross-sectional and two randomized controlled trials, analyzing biomarker data and employing clustering techniques that revealed three distinct endotypes based on inflammation and collagen turnover profiles.
  • - Results showed significant differences in disease activity levels and treatment responses: the high inflammation endotype had the highest disease activity and response to treatment, while the low inflammation and high collagen turnover endotypes demonstrated different patterns of disease progression.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objectives: Screening tools are needed to help to identify psoriatic arthritis in patients with psoriasis. The Psoriatic arthritis UnclutteRed screening Evaluation (PURE-4) questionnaire was developed for this purpose and has been shown to perform very well. The aim of this study was to translate and culturally adapt the PURE-4 scale into the Danish language.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: Women with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) may have reduced tumor necrosis factor inhibitor (TNFi) effectiveness compared to men. We examined sex differences in treatment response and retention rates during 24 months of follow-up among patients with PsA initiating their first TNFi.

Methods: Data from patients with PsA across 13 European Spondyloarthritis Research Collaboration Network registries starting their first TNFi were pooled.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The detection of lymph node metastases is a major challenge in oral and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC and OPSCC). Ga-NOTA-AE105 is a novel positron emission tomography (PET) radioligand with high affinity to urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR), a receptor expressed on the surfaces of tumor cells. The aim of this study was to investigate the diagnostic value of uPAR-PET/CT (computerized tomography) in detecting regional metastatic disease in patients with OSCC and OPSCC compared to the current imaging work-up.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The number of frozen embryo transfer (FET) cycles is increasing rapidly worldwide. Different endometrial preparations for FET result in comparable live birth rates. However, several recent publications have reported higher maternal risks for hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP), pre-eclampsia and postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) in programmed cycles (PC-FET) compared with natural cycles and modified natural cycles with an intact corpus luteum.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: In European axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA) clinical registries, we aimed to investigate commonalities and differences in (1) set-up, clinical data collection; (2) data availability and completeness; and (3) wording, recall period, and scale used for selected patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs).

Methods: Data was obtained as part of the EuroSpA Research Collaboration Network and consisted of (1) an online survey and follow-up interview, (2) upload of real-world data, and (3) selected PROMs included in the online survey.

Results: Fifteen registries participated, contributing 33,948 patients (axSpA: 21,330 (63%), PsA: 12,618 (37%)).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Elevated levels of L-ficolin and M-ficolin proteins were found in patients with axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) compared to healthy individuals and those with non-specific low back pain (LBP).
  • The study analyzed protein levels in two patient groups: one with various types of LBP and another undergoing adalimumab (ADA) therapy for axSpA.
  • Results showed that L-ficolin and M-ficolin were significantly reduced after ADA treatment, highlighting their role in the inflammatory processes associated with axSpA.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF